Display sign



Oct. 1'9, 1.9.37. J N, KLEMA 2,096,302 l DISPLAY SIGN Filed May 19, 1956 Illlllema Patented Oct. 19, 1937 cessez PATENT FFQ DISPLAY SIGN Joseph N. Klema, Austin, Mimi. v `Application May 19, 1936, Serial No. 80,624

, 3 Claims.

w Thisinvention yrelates to display Signs and is an improvement over the construction embodied in my Patent No. 2,036,147, dated March 31, 1936. An object of this invention is to provide a sign construction including a xed sign portion and a movable sign portion, each of vwhich bears an incompleted part of the sign which is adapted to be completed upon movement of the movable sign portion to oneV position with respect to the other Vsign'portion and wherein means isprovided for momentarily interrupting the movement of the movable sign portionwhen the two sign portion are ina position tof'complete the sign. A VAnother object of this invention is to provide '13515 in a sign of this character an operating means for the'movable portion of the sign which may be moved continuously while, at the same time, the movable portion of the sign will be interrupted in its movement when one ory more sign portions are completed.

@2525 ment, the same being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein?- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sign con- '.V'struct'ed according to an embodiment of this invention.

*A130 Figure 2 is ya vfragmentary rear elevation of the sign showing the operating means for the movable portion of the sign.

Figure 3 is a sectional view partly broken away i' taken onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1.

"`-"f35 Figureli isv a fragmentary rear elevation of a modied form of operating means for the movable portion of the Figure 5 is a similar view of another modification of the operating means.

` 4,0' Figure 6 is a fragmentary front elevation of a'modifiedformof sign construction embodying Y the interrupted rmovement feature of the movable' f portion of the sign.

vFigure '7A is a fragmentary sectional view taken e '45 on the line 'I-l'of Figure 4.

' Figure 8 is a sectionaliview taken on the line 8448 of Figure 5.

,g rReferring to the drawing wherein like symbols designate corresponding partsV throughout l'the '50 Vseveral views, the numeral lil designates generally ya'fixed sign yconstruction including upper and lower sign Yportions II and I2 respectively, and

' opposite end vsign portions I3 and I4. rThese sign #portions YIjI ,I I 2, I 3, and' I4, in the present instance,

55 are secured together in the form cf a rectangle `within the guide or track 2 I.

and this rectangular sign portion which is open at the centeris secured to a solid back frame member kI5 having a base I6 at the lower edge thereof.

The upper sign member lI has substantially one-half of a sign of suitable character disposed on the outer face thereof, .as indicated at I'I, and the lower sign member E2 has a sign portion I8 thereon which constitutes substantially one-half of a sign for registry with a movable sign member, as will be hereinafter described. In like 10 manner, the vertical sign member I3 has onehalf of a sign disposedy thereon, as indicated at I9,Vand the opposite end I4 is also provided with one-half of a sign, as indicated at 2B.

Il'he lower sign member l2 is provided with a l5 guide or track 2| extending longitudinally thereof which is vdisposed between the rear walls I5 and the rear side of the sign member I2. A movable sign member including a horizontally disposed sign 22 and movable panels or sign members 23 2O and 24 are disposed within the area formed by the fixed sign members I i, I2, I3, and I4, and are provided with a slide portion 25 which engages The horizontal sign member 22is provided with indicia 26 comprising one-halfrr of the sign which is carried by the lower sign member I3 and which, at the end of one movement of the movable sign, is adapted to come into registry with the lower half of the sign, as indicated at IB, so as to complete a word or Words orv other 'suitable character. An upper horizontal sign member 2l is secured to the movable panels or end members 23 and 24 and is provided with indicia 28 adapted to register with the `indicia I'I at substantially the end of one moVe 35 ment of the movable sign member.

The area within the movable sign member com. prising the two horizontal portions 22 and 21 and the vertical portions 23 and 24 exposes the outer side of the back wall I5 which, in the present in- 1.0 stance, is provided with a suitable sign, as indicated at 29. This sign portion 29 may be a word or words or a picture, or any other suitable indication which will be exposed at all times throughout the movement of the movable sign member. .15

The vertical sign member 23 is provided on the outer face thereof with indicia or indications 3o, adapted to register with the indicia or indications 2), so as to complete a suitable sign and in like manner the vertical sign member 24 is provided 50 with indicia 3l adapted to register with the indicia I9 so as to complete the sign carried by the end member I3.

The Vertical wall l5 is provided with a pair of alined horizontally disposed slots 32 through 55 which bolts or pins 33 are adapted to project. These bolts or pins 33 are secured to the movable sign member and, in the present instance, are secured to the lower sign member 22 and each pin 32 has an angular member 34 secured thereto which is disposed rearwardly of the rear wall I5. These angle members 54 are each provided with an opening therethrough constituting a bearing for a slidable operating rod 35. The rod 35 loosely engages through the openings 35 of the rearwardly extending leg of the angle members 54 and springs 3l are disposed about the rod 35 and engage at one end against the rearwardly extending leg of an angle member 34 and the opposite end of each spring 35 is adapted to engage against a Washer or collar 38 which is xed to the rod 35. back and forth upon rotation ofa worm gear 39 rotatably carried by a bearing structure 49 which is secured to the base I6.

A pitman or link 4I is secured at one end to an eccentrically disposed pin or trunnion 42 carried by the gear 39 and the opposite end of the pitman or link 4I is secured to a collar or block 43'which is fixed to the rod.

In Figure 4 th-ere is shown a modified form of operating means for the movable sign which comprises an elongated rod 44 provided at opposite ends thereof with elongated slots 45. This rod 44 is adapted to loosely engage the headed pins 33 and reciprocating movement of the rod 44 is effected by a pitman 4Ia which is secured to ja gear 39a in the same manner as the gear 39.

The rod 44 is provided with a pair of springs 45 disposed at the inner ends of the slots 45 and y on-e end Vof each spring is secured to the rod 44 and the opposite end of each spring 46 is provided with an eye 4l engaging a pin 43. In this instance, the movement of the slide is effected by pulling through the spring 46. V

In Figure 5 there is disclosed another form of operating means for the movable slide Vand in this form an elongated bar 48 extends between the rearwardly extending pins Y33 of the movable slide and is fixed thereto, this rod or bar 48 being provided with openings 49 adjacent the opposite end thereof. The interrupted move- Yment of the movable slide is` effected by means of a pitman 4Ib which is provided with an elongated slot or opening 50 adjacent one end thereof in' which. is received a pin 5I i'lXedto the bar 48. Springs 52 are disposed within the slot 5i! and engage the pin 5I so as to normally hold this pin 5I in substantially the longitudinal center of the slot 5i).

Figure 6 shows a modified form of sign construction and operating means therefor in which a pair of sign members 53 and 54 are provided which are moved one relative to the other by means of a forked operating member 55 pivoted as at 55. The opposite ends of the forked por- Y tions 51 of this member 55`are secured'as by links 5S to the upper ends of the sign members 53 and 54 so that these sign members 53 and 54 will move in opposite directions under the rocking of the forked member 55. An elongated rod 59 is slidable through the stem portion of the forked or Y member 55 being provided with a head 59 at one end thereof and the opposite end The rod 36 is reciprocated collar 65 which is secured to the rod 59. A stop member 55 is mounted in a position to stop the rocking movement of the Y member 55 when the sign portions 6l and 68 of the sign members 53 and 54 respectively are in registry. At this time, the rod 59 will continue sliding movement and the spring 64 will be compressed. The showing in Figure 6 is a diagrammatic showing of a sign and operating construction in which the interrupted movement of one or more of the sign members is effected. Y

The worm gear 39 is rotated by means of a worm 59 carried by a shaft 'I5 which is connected to a motor or power member 1I.

In the use and operation of this device, the power member 'li will rotate the gear 39 continuously and the pitman 4I will reciprocate the rod 3B back and forth. When the movable sign reaches at one end of its travel in the guide 2| and assuming that this end of the travel is the end I3 of the stationary sign, the sign portions i5 and 3l will be completed. At this time, the spring 3i shown at the right side of Figure 2 will strike the rearwardly extending leg of the angle member 34 at about the time that the ecl.

the guide openings 35 of the rod supporting mem-- The right hand spring 31 will thereby bers 34. be compressed and at this time the movable sign member 24 will remain stationary. Continued rotation of the gear 34 will effect reverse movement to the rod 36 so as to move the mov-1 able sign in the opposite direction and when the movable sign member 34 engages against the stationary sign member I4, the left hand spring 3l, shown in Figure 2, will be compressedV while, at the same time, the rod 35 continues its movement to the left. This movement of the operating means for the movable sign will be a continuous movement while; at the Sametime, the movable sign is interrupted in its movement at each end of the stationary signa sufficient length of time to permit the reading or display of the completed sign. While the movable sign members are shown as being moved through the medium of the worm gear 39, themovable sign members may be moved by providingV a disc in place of the worm gear 39 and connecting this disc to a suitable power means.

The inner sign 29 is shownr asa stationary sign of suitable character but this sign may also bey constructed in the form of a movable sign, as embodied in my Patent No. 2,012,468 with the movable sign 29 connected by means of a rod or the liketo the slide rod 26 or the like. In Figure YEi, the sign members 53 and 54 may beprovided with a balancing means of Ysuitable construction in the form ofweights or the like so that these members may be moved by a relatively small motor or operating means.

If desired, a second pitman or link 4I may be connected at one end tothe pivot 42 and at the 'opposite end to a gure sign similar to the figure sign embodied in my prior Patent No. 2,012,468. I claim:-

1. A sign as set forth comprising a stationary sign member, a. reciprocable sign member, Vmeans for slidably mounting said reciprocable sign member for sliding movement relative to the stationary sign member, a rotatable operating means, a slidable bar, means for slidably securing said bar to said reciprocable sign member, a

connecting link connecting the operating means with the sliding bar to effect reciprocationthereof upon rotation of the operating means, yieldable means interposed between the link connection and the bar supporting means whereby the bar may have continuous movement without movement of the reciprocable member at one end of the line of travel thereof, indicia carried partly `on said stationary sign member and partly on said reciprocable sign member, movement of said reciprocable sign member in one direction presenting completed indicia and movement of said reciprocable sign member in the opposite direction presenting inoompleted indicia.

2. A sign as set forth comprising a stationary sign member, a reciprocablesign member, means for slidably mounting said reciprocable sign member for sliding movement'relative to the stationary sign member, a rotatable operating 20 means, a horizontally slidable bar, means for slidably connecting said bar to said reciprocable sign member, a link connecting the operating ried partly on the stationary sign member and partly on the reciprocable sign member, movement of said'reciprocable sign member in one direction presenting completed indicia and movement of said reciprocable sign member in the opposite direction presenting inoompleted indicia.

3. A sign as set forth comprising a stationary sign member, a reciprocable sign member, means for slidably mounting said reciprocable sign member for sliding movement relative to the stationary sign member, a rotatable operating means, a slidable bar having an outwardly opening slot in each end thereof, spaced apart pins carried by said reciprocable sign member projecting into the slots of said bar, a link pivotally secured to said operating means and said bar and a pair of springs secured to said bar and to said pins whereby the bar may have continuous movement without movement of the reciprocable member at one end of the line of travel thereof, indicia carried partly on said stationary sign member and partly on said reciprocable sign member, movement of said reciprocable sign member in one direction presenting completed indicia and movement of said reciprocable sign member in the opposite direction presenting incompleted indicia.

JOSEPH N. KLEMA. 

